In my youth, I used to read many novels in this vein, including several by Mr. DeMille.

Like all Nelson DeMille's books this was a fast, thrilling read. A new character Daniel (Mac) MacCormack was introduced. Although his back story is very different from John Corey in previous books, they felt like the same person to me. The things Mac said could easily have been things Corey would say. I thought Mac's friend Jack was a much more interesting character even though he was a supporting player. I did not believe for a second that Mac and Sara fell in love. I just didn't feel it.

Learning about Cuba was fascinating. I appreciate all the research it took to write this book.

At the end of the day, I read this book in two days. It's a great beach read because it's easy to get lost in. I liked it. Didn't love it.

Nelson DeMille does it again. Fast paced story, well developed characters with a great sense of humor. Highly recommended.

I loved this book! The plot was intriguing, the characters were real and likable (and had dialogue like normal people do) and the historical facts and local color were informative. I now want to visit Cuba! Of course, there was an exciting ending that preventing me from putting the book down. It was a pleasure to read this well-written book. Highly recommended!

Daniel “Mac” MacCormick is retired from the army and living the good life, running a forty-two-foot charter fishing boat, apart from the debt life is good. Then he is offered three million to retrieve some hidden cash and documents, the catch is, its in Cuba! This is a good book, told from Mac's view, so you know what he knows. There are some good character's and if it does turn into a series, Mac is an interesting lead. Does lack a bit of action, but the exit from Cuba makes up for it.

4.5 stars
Nelson DeMille does it again with a fast paced, funny, new novel. The main character, Daniel MacCormack could very well be John Corey's twin brother with a similar wit and sense of humor. Mac is hired to help "relocate" money and titles from Cuba to their rightful owners in the US. Of course, this all takes place during the "Cuban thaw" when tourists are severely restricted as to travel in Cuba. A little bit of romance, a bit of danger, and a good story that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. I hope to see Mac again in another book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I’ve read quite a few of DeMille’s books over the years, and have enjoyed everyone. This one was no exception. DeMille has a new character, Daniel MacCornick (Mac), a former U. S. Army combat veteran now captain of a charter fishing boat in Key West. Mac’s life is pretty quiet, until he is hired to go to Cuba and bring back $60 million to be repatriated to its rightful owners (well, the Cuban government might take exception to that). Problem is, this is an all or nothing payday.

Like all of DeMille’s characters, Mac is clever and wisecracking, yet likeable. The caper is thrilling and along the way you learn some history and politics. One of the things I like about DeMille’s books is that they always teach you something you didn’t know (read Plum Island if you haven’t). We get a glimpse of life and culture in Cuba, as well as the long for their home felt by many exiles. The writing is superb, so make yourself a Cuba Libre, sit back and prepare to be entertained!

It was incredibly slow and boring. Literally, nothing happened. At all. The book dragged on and on and on. The main character, Mac, was just another version of sarcastic John Corey who as that series has progressed, gotten more and more sarcastic and less witty and fun to read. It took me weeks to finish this one.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Nelson DeMille, and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Returning with another novel full of political commentary and a slice of dry wit, Nelson DeMille shows how he has long been a master storyteller with yet another sensational novel. Daniel ‘Mac’ MacCormick enjoys the quiet life in Key West, Florida. Having traded in his military life for that of a charter boat captain, he is able to enjoy the calm breeze and only a few arrogant customers at a time. When he is approached with an offer to sail a group down to Cuba, the idea does not much appeal to him. Up the ante to over a million dollars for his troubles and he is in. With the Cuban Thaw, Americans are slowly becoming accepted in the country, but this mission is anything but an advance team for the party planners during the welcoming fiesta. Instead, Mac will work with Cuban American Sara Ortega to secure a vast sum of cash and valuables left by her banker grandfather before the Cuban Revolution. These vast riches are currently stashed away in a cave well away from Havana’s lights. Posing as members of a Yale Travel Group, Mac and Sara arrive in Havana and begin putting their plan into action. Their cover seems secure and a faked holiday romance soon turns completely genuine. However, their Cuban tour guide may be onto them and tips his hand a little too soon. With a general idea of where the money is located and a plan to get it out of the country in the dead of night, all it will take is a timely execution of the plan. Trouble is, they still need to get back to US soil before they are caught by the Cubans. Might this operation bring a renewed diplomatic chill to a relationship that remains precariously uncertain? Full of one-liners and sarcastic banter, DeMille entertains, educates, and enthrals fans with this novel. Recommended to anyone with a great respect for humour in its driest form paired with a story ripped from the headlines.

Nelson DeMille has a style all his own and exemplifies it yet again here. His use of sarcasm and dry wit passes through all protagonists borne of his pen, but it is the delivery and the ease with which the reader can enjoy its inclusion that makes it so accepted. Mac is another wonderful character cut from the same cloth as John Corey. He seeks the simple life and yet seems to find trouble at every turn. He has just the right amount of machismo to lure in the women and leave the men beating their chests in jealousy. Using a military backstory, DeMille is able to not only pull his protagonist into the current situation at hand, but also pull punches as it relates to the two wars that continue to simmer when US boots need not be. Add in a spicy female to offset Mac’s bravado and you have a wonderful pairing. Ortega is an independent woman who wants to do her family proud, but cannot deny the allure of this scarred ship captain. Turning to the story, DeMille weaves a wonderfully realistic story, using some of his research during a trip to the country in 2015 and shows how the Thaw might be welcomed on one side, but not yet fully celebrated in Cuba. Still, it is apparently the State Department that has turned this police state into the untrusting tiny country that has been a thorn in the American backside. Rich with history and descriptions of the countryside, DeMille takes the reader to the streets of rural Cuba and nighttime Havana with his well-crafted narrative. Injecting just the right amount of political commentary, the reader will surely see the Thaw through the eyes of a patriotic American who has witnessed the sentiments on the other side. Whatever Cuba might be to the reader, this is a wonderful story and keeps the action going until the final pages. Witty yet full of social comparisons between the two nations, DeMille delivers a knockout punch.

Kudos, Mr. DeMille for telling this story at a time when many are surely questioning the need for ongoing embargoes and travel restrictions. They may have once been chummy with the Russians, but Cuba poses much less of a threat than the current American Administration.

If you like Nelson DeMille you will love this novel. If you are not familiar with him you will still love it.

This novel is about a mission to retrieve certain items from Cuba that were left behind when Castro took power. All the necessary elements for intrigue are here- love, lust, tradecraft, chases, near misses, and multiple situations that could go either way. Combined with some history and geography lessons about Havana. The author's familiarity with everyday life in Cuba just adds the right touch of verisimilitude to the narrative. Nelson DeMille shows us again why he is a master of the genre.

This book by Nelson DeMille features a new hero, "Mac", a former US Army man who now lives in Key West with a large boat and an equally large bank loan on it. Mac is approached by a trio of Cuban-Americans who want to hire Mac and his boat for a Cuban caper to recover a large fortune hidden in Cuba. Now that the US-Cuban diplomatic thaw makes travel to the island easier, the granddaughter of the person who hid the money wants to return to the island and claim the funds. Mac and his crew take on the challenge, and a complicated search and rescue ensue, in which it's not clear to Mac that he will walk away alive. The characters are well-drawn, interesting, and believable. One learns a good deal about Key West and Cuba - the author did his research for this book in great depth. Very enjoyable book.

ARC/Thriller: This book has not come out yet, so no spoilers here. I will tell you how I felt about it.
I have read several of DeMille's books and his fictional character of John Corey is one of my future ex-husbands. This book includes the protagonist Mac who is a lot like Corey. Mac, however, is a struggling charter boat captain. Then you meet Sara who is no good for Mac, but he never sees it. Their journey reminds me a lot of the book "The Quest".

Funny thing, all the sudden, I saw a lot in the news and on TV about tourism in Cuba, including a Facebook friend going on a cruise that docked in Cuba. On PBS, I saw a documentary about music and food in Cuba. However, the bar Floridilita looked more lively on TV. DeMille described it as an empty dive.

I did like this novel and I'm going to recommend it to my book-buddy, Bill. I liked the journey Mac and Sara took. It was more true life with the two planning out the plot. I did have a hard time getting through the first 100 pages, After that, it was easier because Mac's personality came through.

Unfortunately the book didn't live up to my expectations. I'm a huge Demille fan but I wouldn't have finished it if I didn't feel obligated to provide a review. The main character was a John Correy doppelgänger but not as funny. There wasn't any action until the end. The tour around Cuba was interesting at first but all the names starting sounding familiar and I just wasn't interested anymore. I really wanted to like this. so sorry.

Another -- CIA v Cuba v CIA, CIA screws big dumb hunky military man, man has chance for big score, plus the girl and the good buddy tossed in -- saga. Maybe a decent airplane book but not a great read. Characters were not well developed which was frustrating because they all have real promise with a lot more work (but one gets the feeling that was not going to pay the bills). Male protagonist had only had one thing on his mind except when he was wondering where to get a drink. Too bad; This has the bones of a really great story but just never got out of dry dock.

The secrets of great writers are well known but hard to replicate. Nelson DeMille, an author of notable success, credits research, good sources, copious reading, and attention to detail as difficulties he deals with when writing. Apparently he has overcome the problems because his work resonates with a huge audience.

Prior to writing “The Cuban Affair,” DeMille read travel guides and books on Cuba and Cuban-American relations, and then traveled to Cuba in late 2015 with a group of notable Cuban experts. He visited historical sites and examined past and present Cuban sociological and political activities. He is confident, as he explains in an author’s note, that his novel “is not only factually accurate but also representative of the emotions and thinking of the characters” he portrays who are caught up in this critical contemporary period. As a result, the book crackles with the tensions, moods, atmosphere, and attitudes we have come to associate with our fascinating neighbor.

Mac MacCormick, a new DeMille character, is an insouciant charter fishing boat owner in Key West, an Army veteran with scars and decorations, along with an unsteady financial platform. He hesitantly enters into a scheme to retrieve sixty million American dollars hidden in Cuban with a big payday of three million dollars for him and his partner. A beautiful Cuban-American woman is leading the effort and Mac’s reluctance is overcome with the prospect of creating his own relations with her. He is assured it is not an illegal operation, but it is a dangerous one because Cuban authorities are known to be vicious and cruel to their trespassers.

The deal is shaky and filled with unknowns. The characters that Mac gets involved with are both tedious and dangerous. The secretive and violent Cuban authorities are constantly lurking, and important details are either being kept from Mac or are unplanned. He is not in control and the outcome is not promising.

DeMille’s depiction of Cuba is clear and revealing. We experience the grinding poverty, the hustle of a poor and hungry people (along with their infectious joy of being), the greed of the authorities, and the crumbling beauty of a once glorious city. His characterizations are luminous and their roles are clearly defined. Each trembling detail of the plot is carefully delineated, ensuring that the reader is just as leery of the outcome as are the participants.

As expected, DeMille produces a great piece of writing. I heartily recommend it.

This book reminded me why I loved DeMille. Exciting, adventurous with a great plot and fun characters! This book has it all

I must start by saying I love Nelson DeMille's style of writing. His characters are interesting and I find myself immersed in the story. The Cuban Affair does not disappoint. The story starts in the Florida Keys, our hero is ex military now back in the USA. He left Portland to start a boat business on The Keys. He is approaced by a Cuban man and a beautiful Cuban woman. They had a plan to return to Cuba under the cover of a Yale group. They then intend to liberate money put into hiding during the revolution. Of course, all does not go to plan.

I'd like to thank Simon and Schuster publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read off of Nelson DeMille's previous books, and I'm a fan. I enjoyed this book very much. He introduces a new character named Daniel Graham MacCormick, aka Mac. Mac is an Afghan vet who owns a deep sea fishing charter boat with his friend Jack out of Key West.
DeMille's writing is always crisp and fast paced, his characters interesting and flawed, and his descriptions of the places the characters visit will bring you there. I've read that he does extensive research on the places in his books, and it definitely shows here.

In The Cuban Affair, we're brought to Cuba circa 2015, just as the country is opening up. Mac is hired to go to Cuba to retrieve some old documents and $60 million buried as the owners fled Castro. Mac is initially skeptical of the Miami lawyer who approaches him and of Sara, a beautiful Cuban-American with a claim to the money through a banker. The $3 million payment convinces him, and Mac, Jack, and Sara take off for Cuba, ostensibly to enter a fishing tournament. Mac and Sara go off to find the treasure, but things don't go exactly as they had planned.

The book is narrated by Mac so you get to hear his inner thoughts and dialogue. I liked hearing his thoughts on the modern day Cuba he's seeing for the first time. The detailed descriptions were amazing. The plot was interesting, and I think DeMille has a great new character in Mac. I'm sure we'll see him in future books!

I highly recommend this book, and I think it will be another bestseller for Nelson DeMille.

Daniel "Mac" MacCormick, US Army combat vet, is now operating a fishing charter. His boat, The Maine, is heavily mortgaged. Mac is approached by a Miami lawyer with an interesting proposition and a 2 million dollar payday. There are legal papers and $60 million dollars in Cuba that was left by wealthy fleeing Cubans. The lawyer wants Mac to help get the papers and the money before someone else discovers them. Mac will go to Cuba with Sara, the granddaughter of an exiled Cuban, as part of a Yale tour. Macs first mate Jack will sail their fishing boat to Cuba for a fishing tournament to get it into place for them to escape. Mac is drawn to the danger of the mission and the payday doesn't hurt. It will be an all or nothing mission. Success or possible prison or death.

This is a fast paced action packed thriller. It has an intriguing plot that will keep you turning the pages. The author brings a lot about the history and politics of Cuba into the book. There is some great dialogue in this book. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I always enjoy DeMille's characters and this book didn't disappoint. Very good plot line that was relevant to our current relationship to Cuba and contained the required suspense and was not predictable. And of course the DeMille "smart ass" dialog that I enjoy so much was there.